The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-10
INGALLs's NOVEL.
The Kansas Senator Has HIS Work of Fic-
ton Planned.
Washington Special.

Washington Special
A close friend of Senator ingalls, says that his
novel will not be ready for publication for some
time to come. He has, however, the plan
mapped out, and he has been preparing for it for
years. The scene will, it is said, be laid partly
in Washington and partly in the West, and the
characters will be the well known and
women of the epoch, under assumed names
The period will extend from the sitting of the
Electoral Commission in 1876 and 1877 to the
elimination of the Garfield tragedy. It will be
diversified with description, narration and in
cidents of adventure. and it viii contain the
matured results of Ingalls's observations of the
men and women, the manners and the morals
the passions and the tenderness of modern pol
tiles and of modern society. 1t will deal with
conditions of success and failure in public 1fe
but it will attempt to teach no distinctive
moral nor didactive lesson Senator ingalls, is
very ready writer, and his vocabulary is MKT
ure of Carlyle, Addison and the best classics,
interspersed with the characteristic phrases of
Western life He thinks by steam, and his
brain works like a wheel of dynamo, striking off
intellectual sparks at every turn. He gives you
a idea with every word and every one tells
His sentences are series of surprises. He de-
lights in the pyrotechnics of language, and he
has greater power of invective than had John
Randolph of Roanoke. His head is shaped like
that of Randolph, and he has many of the att
tributes of that eccentric statesman of the past
He, however, is better balanced and more brainy,
and his culture is superior to that of the famed
descendant of Pocahontas. ingalls, has SYM
pathy for Sunday school statesmen, and his
theory of politics. though he may not have con-
fessed it to himself, is that it is battle of the par
ties which should be waged to the knife. He does
not believe in dilly -dallyng and shilly-shallying
with side issues or side parties; and l believe
that he would rather slap the mugwumps and
the other dilettante parties, such as the Pro-
hibtionists, in the face than coquette with them.
Senator ingalls,. however has high idea of the
dignity of his position and he is one of the all
round men in public life. He will not do any
thing that would seen. derogatory to the Presi-
dent of the Senate, and the public win probably
have fewer speeches from him this session than
it has had before. 1t will have less sar-
castle ones, and the President and the other
side of the Senate will rest easier from the fact
that he is in the chair. His decisions WILL as a
rule, be non-partisan ones, and ingalls, is
nothing if not a gentleman. He has keen
idea of justice, and he is of the honestest of
our statesmen in his political utterances. He
always calls spade spade, and never de-
ceives himself as to his political belief, and he
hates hypocrisy worse than he hates the devil
He is the best dressed man in the United States
Senate, and though he is not like young Sir Pitt
Crawley in that he would rather starve than
eat dinner in anything else than white necktie
he has high regard for the amenities of society,
and his regard fol- a woman is that of the cheva-
ler. Mrs. Ingalls, by the way, is of the
brightest women of Washington society. and
the ingalls, home will be the leading senatorial
society center this winter The Senator is
keeping house here for the first time in years,
and he has rented big white brick facing the
Capitol Mrs ingalls, is noted conversa-
tionalist She tell a good story as we'll as
her husband. and she has many of the popular
attributes of Mrs: John A. Logan. She keeps
posted upon pontlcS ana Is much wrapped up IN
the success of her husband. She is New
York girl, whose father moved to Kansas when
Ingalls, was a young lawyer and was practicing
near Atchson. ingalls, met her at the wedding
of friend when he groomsman and she
was bridemaid. The acquaintance there
formed rpened into love and marriage, and the
two have grown up together They have a
numerous family of children. ranging from
Ellsworth, who graduated at college year ago.
and who is now his fathers private secretary,
down to bright little girl of four or FIVE. but
Mrs ingalls, is of the youngest-looking
women of the senatorial circle, and her eve is
bright and her cheek as rosy as when she met
John James ingalls, for the first time at their
friends marriage.